Terry Ratzmann
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On March 12, 2005 44-year old Terry Ratzmann killed seven members of his Milwaukee congregation of the Living Church of God were holding a church service at the Sheraton Hotel in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Ratzmann had left the building twenty minutes earlier, and now returned carrying his 9mm handgun and fired 22 rounds into the congregation killing the minister and six others including the minister's son. During the shooting he reportedly spoke aloud to the congregation, telling them that he had brought 3 clips of ammunition and intended to kill the entire congregation[1]. Ratzmann shot and killed himself midway through the second clip.
Previously living with his mother and sister, Ratzmann was known as an avid gardener who often shared his homegrown produce with the church congregation. On the verge of losing his job as a computer technician with a placement firm, Ratzmann was known to suffer from bouts of depression, and was reportedly infuriated by a sermon the minister had given two weeks earlier.
Correction on above information: Terry Ratzmann said nothing as he came into the Sheraton Hotel room, or during the actual shooting.
The CNN article was inaccurate when it reported that a woman who witnessed the shooting said Ratzmann spoke to the congregation, he actually did not.
[edit] Victims
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[edit] Aftermath
During the police search of the house that Ratzmann shared with his mother and sister, a .22 rifle, ammunition and 3 computers were taken away.[2]
The March 13 autopsy revealed that Ratzmann was suffering from Hashimoto's thyroiditis, a mild congenital heart abnormality and was missing part of three fingers on his left hand, the result of a much earlier injury.
